F150.
Right on Time: Four Fiction Writers Discuss Debuts over 50
Friday, March 10, 2023
10:35 am to 11:50 am
Supporting younger authors' success is important, but it's equally critical to support those who publish their first books after 50, 60, and beyond. This women-identified panel dispels notions of late bloomers and ageism in favor of publishing "right on time." Having stayed the course, these panelists celebrate lived experience in crafting their debuts, despite challenges of finding space, time, income, and community. They also discuss succeeding in a world that often values youth over age.
Participants
Darlene Taylor advances the humanities and arts and brings literature to students in underserved communities. She is a fellow of Kweli, Kimbilio, Callaloo, and a scholar-artist at Howard University. A life of social justice advocacy and preservation of Black history shape her storytelling.
Marcia Bradley earned a BA from Antioch LA, an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, and teaches novel and memoir for continuing education students at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute. Her novel, The Home for Wayward Girls, will debut from HarperCollins in 2023. Marcia lives in the Bronx, New York.
Caroline Kim is the author of a collection of short stories, The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories, which won the 2020 Drue Heinz Prize in Literature. Her work can be found in New England Review, Story, TriQuarterly, Best of Korea, Lit Hub, and elsewhere.
Ramona Reeves won the 2022 Drue Heinz Literature Prize for her linked story collection, It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories. Her work has appeared in The Southampton Review, Bayou magazine, New South, Texas Highways, and others. She lives with her wife in Texas.
Naomi Williams
